Skylanders: Trap Team - Wii Uhttp://www.gameinformer.com/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/atom.aspxCommunity Server2014-06-05T08:00:00ZGood To Be Bad/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/10/01/good-to-be-bad.aspx2014-10-01T09:56:00Z2014-10-01T09:56:00Z<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/trapteam/review/skylanders610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Most bad guys stick to the script of bringing evil and chaos to the
world, but we occasionally see them atone for their sins and perform
good deeds. In <i>Return of the Jedi</i>, Darth Vader turns against the Emperor to save his son. DC Comics&rsquo; recent <i>Forever Evil</i>
story arc concludes with Lex Luthor joining the Justice League. In the
Super Nintendo classic, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars,
Bowser teams up with his arch nemesis Mario to exact revenge on an evil
king.</p>
<p>Skylanders&rsquo; Kaos is the latest character to join the forces of good,
but not by choice. In his latest bid to seize control of all of
Skylands, he frees every villain contained within Cloud Cracker Prison,
assuming they would help him conquer the world out of gratitude. What he
doesn&#39;t bargain for one of these evildoers being far more cunning and
ruthless than he is. Dressed head to toe in vibrant gold and wielding
the power of the Midas touch, the villain called the Golden Queen takes
control of Kaos&rsquo; army, knocking him out of the picture completely. His
only hope of reclaiming his throne (and not being oppressed by the
Golden Queen) lies with the Skylanders.</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/trapteam/review/Skylanders%20Trap%20Team_Villain_Riot%20Shield%20Shredder.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>Adding this loud-mouthed antihero to the playable character pool is
just one of many ways that developer Toys for Bob turns Trap Team into
the best Skylanders game to date. While the gameplay core of this
annualized series remains largely unchanged, the functionality tied to
Kaos (and the 40-plus other playable villains) adds an enjoyable layer
of strategy to combat, inspiring collectors like me to scour levels for
hidden areas that could contain chance encounters with these baddies.</p>
<p>The villains are bona fide game changers, often empowering the player
with the might of a boss-like entity roaming the battlefield. The
destruction they unleash is advantageous for several reasons. When used
correctly, they can either be saviors who protect your Skylander from
death, or the equivalent of high-leveled MMO players who power-level
newcomers.</p>
<p>Since the villains are locked away in crystaline constructs, you
determine when they are freed or imprisoned again. When let loose, they
take the place of your Skylander, but only for a limited amount of time.
When they sustain damage, their clock expires faster. Once depleted,
they return to the trap. The villains cannot gain experience points or
gold; all of these riches instead go to the Skylander they replace.</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/trapteam/review/Skylanders%20Trap%20Team_Wallop.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<table style="margin:0 0 10px 10px;float:right;width:250px;color:#000;" bgcolor="#efefef" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0">
<tbody>
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<td style="background-color:#444;color:#fff;">The Price to See it All</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>As is the case with all playable characters in the Skylanders games,
playing as a villain comes with a real-world price. To add one of these
characters to your roster, you first need to purchase a trap gem (MSRP
$5.99) that must be plugged into the Traptanium Portal. There are nine
different elemental types in this installment &ndash; one of which is reserved
for endgame exploration and content. To truly appreciate the full game,
you&rsquo;ll want all nine trap types. Keep that wallet open; the price
associated with seeing all of the content doesn&rsquo;t end there. The only
characters that can access bonus areas are the new Trap Masters, which
are bigger than the standard variety of Skylanders and carry a higher
price tag (MSRP $14.99). You need all eight elemental types of the Trap
Masters to be able to explore all of the levels in their entirety. The
core set (MSRP $74.99) comes with a Water Trap Master and a Water and
Life trap, which means you need to spend an additional $250 to obtain
everything you need to see it all.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Low-level Skylanders are no longer sentenced to immediate death when
thrown into a difficult combat encounter toward the tail end of the
game. With the villain carrying them through, weak Skylanders could
conceivably gain between two and five levels in these conflicts, without
taking any action themselves. This is an efficient way of leveling up
new additions to your roster. </p>
<p>The villains don&rsquo;t disrupt the gameplay flow at all. Most of them are
immensely satisfying to play, offering unique abilities not seen in any
of the Skylanders thus far. Kaos, who unfortunately only playable after
the game is completed, and Chef Pepper Jack are ridiculously powerful,
almost to the point of breaking the gameplay balance. Kaos launches
elemental blasts that decimate enemy forces. Pepper Jack breathes fire,
throws explosive red peppers, and grinds enemies to pieces with a
comically oversized eggbeater. I got a kick out of hearing the villains
voices in the Traptanium Portal, but they don&#39;t have much to say. The
repetition in lines can be annoying for some of the more vocal baddies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Do the villains overshadow the Skylanders? To a degree, yes, but the
two factions complement each other well. Other than unlocking new skins
tied to unique quests that only the evildoers can complete, they don&rsquo;t
evolve over the course of the game. Conversely, all of the Skylanders
once again offer lengthy upgrade paths, and that exciting element of not
knowing what their third attack or special power will be until they are
leveled up. </p>
<p>Level design is another area where Toys for Bob makes big strides
forward. Yes, you still run in to an annoying amount of fetch quests,
turtle-pushing puzzles, and lock-picking minigames, but the levels
themselves are beautifully imagined this time around, rarely falling
back on the elemental-based staples used in Spyro&rsquo;s Adventure and
Giants. Players traverse a clockwork world filled with spinning gears
and transforming terrain, and a construct overflowing with food. This
adventure even shows off what technology 10,000 years into Skylands&rsquo;
future looks like.</p>
<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/trapteam/review/Skylanders%20Trap%20Team_Snap%20Shot.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /></p>
<p>One downfall to the levels is the amount of dead time often tied to
combat encounters. Waves of enemies don&rsquo;t immediately populate, and
sometimes delay the action so much that it seems like the game may have
crashed. Some of the villain encounters are presented as significant
end-of-level boss encounters, complete with cinematic sequences and
attack variations. However, most of the villain battles are undercooked
exercises in repetition &ndash; pushing the player to deal with the same
attack patterns for far too long.</p>
<p>The same gripes cannot be made of Kaos mode, a tower defense-like
scenario that shows just how frenzied and enjoyable Skylanders&rsquo; combat
can be. Enemies crowd the screen and are unrelenting in their push to
destroy a box that you and a handful of upgradeable elemental towers are
protecting. Kaos mode is a great avenue to power-level characters and
play cooperatively. The returning Arena mode also serves these purposes
well, giving Trap Team plenty of great content outside of the
story-based missions.</p>
<p>(Please visit the site to view this media)</p>
<p>Whether or not you have the Skylanders required to open bonus areas,
this is the biggest entry in the series, consisting of 18 lengthy
missions loaded with hidden secrets and collectibles. In addition to an
array of new hats, all of the Skylanders and villains can wear trinkets,
like pinwheels on their tails or teddy-bear backpacks. Yes, they look
utterly ridiculous now.</p>
<p>Giving Toys for Bob an extra year to work on this sequel paid off,
not just with the concept of villains partnering with heroes, but the
world they inhabit feeling more alive. Trap Team is an expensive
proposition (see sidebar), but one that pounds out thrills and gives
fans plenty of reason to visit Skylands for a fourth time.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=7009908" width="1" height="1">GIReinerhttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIReiner/default.aspxSkylanders Trap Team Introduces Kaos-Style Tower Defense Mode/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/09/15/skylanders-trap-team-introduces-kaos-style-tower-defense-mode.aspx2014-09-15T07:53:25Z2014-09-15T07:53:25Z<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/trapteam/SkylandersKDC-610.jpg" style="max-width:610px;" border="0" alt="" /><br /><br />When Skylanders Trap Team arrives in early October, it will be bringing with it a brand new mode crafted from the pure evil of series villain Kaos. The Kaos Doom Challenge offers 100-wave tower defense style gameplay.<br /><br />Players will be able to use any of their Skylanders and trapped villains to combat the waves. There&#39;s also a &quot;Mystery Box of Doom&quot; and huge villains to fight.<br /><br />(Please visit the site to view this media)<br /><br />You can check out the trailer for more information and visit <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/xboxone/archive/2014/06/11/joining-the-trap-team-hands-on-with-the-new-skylanders.aspx">our previous coverage</a> for more on what Skylanders Trap Team brings to the table (and the tablet, for <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/ios/archive/2014/08/12/activision-brings-full-console-skylanders-trap-team-experience-to-tablets.aspx">the full mobile version</a>). It will be out on October 5 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, Wii, 3DS, and mobile devices.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6986700" width="1" height="1">GIMikehttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIMike/default.aspxSkylanders After Dark/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/07/21/skylanders-storms-san-diego-comic-con-with-trap-team-dark-edition.aspx2014-07-21T08:00:00Z2014-07-21T08:00:00Z<p><img border="0" style="max-width:610px;" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision2014/skylanders/TrapTeamDark-610.jpg" alt="" /><br /><br />Last year, Skylanders got its first collector&#39;s edition with the Swap Force Dark Edition. The set came with more figures in a special silver and black deco only available in that set. This year, the Dark Edition is getting beefed up with something extra special.<br /><br />The Skylanders: Trap Team Dark Edition comes with an additional figure and a special trap required to nab the ultimate bad guy: Kaos. Each year, Skylanders offers a new gimmick that carries through to future iterations. <br /><br />Giants introduced huge characters. Swap Force brought figures that could be mixed and matched. Trap Team allows players to imprison villains and use them for good.<br /><br />The Dark Edition comes with three figures: Trap masters Snap Shot and Wildfire, new core character Food fight, two regular elemental traps, and a special crystal to store Kaos once you&#39;ve beaten him (an alternate Kaos trap design will be available in limited quantities at retail). The new portal that&#39;s required for Trap Team is included, as well. For comparison, the standard edition comes with Trap master Snap Shot, Food Fight, two trap crystals, and the portal.<br /><br />The Dark Edition will be available alongside the regular edition on October 5 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Wii. A 3DS version of the game is also in development. The Dark Edition will retail for $99, with the standard edition priced at $74.99.</p>
<p>For more, check out <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/xboxone/archive/2014/06/11/joining-the-trap-team-hands-on-with-the-new-skylanders.aspx">our coverage from E3</a>.</p>
<p> If you&#39;ll be at San Diego Comic Con, you&#39;ll have a chance to go hands-on with Skylanders: Trap Team.&nbsp; You can also check out a panel focused on the process of creating new Skylanders characters. On that panel will be I-Wei Huang, director of toy and character development at developer Toys for Bob; Richard Horvitz, the voice of villain Kaos; and comic book writer Ron Marz. IDW will also be premiering the first Skylanders comic book series and will have a 16-page prequel to Trap Team on hand.</p>
<p>On Sunday, July 27, there will be Kids&#39; Day events for younger fans. Trap Team will be playable in the Interactive Zone (with giveaways while supplies last), a limited edition poster giveaway at the Penguin Publishing booth, and a look at the upcoming comic series at the IDW Kids Comic Panel at 10 a.m. Pacific.</p>
<p>Think Skylanders are just for kids? Check out some of the <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/06/25/a-fortune-in-plastic-putting-a-price-tag-on-rare-skylanders.aspx">rare figures pulling in big money</a> via auction.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6909411" width="1" height="1">GIMikehttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIMike/default.aspxNew Characters Star In Skylanders: Trap Team Screens /games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/06/12/skylanders-trap-team-screens-show-new-characters-in-action.aspx2014-06-12T15:41:00Z2014-06-12T15:41:00Z<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activison2014/skylanders/trapteam/e3skytrap610.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>Activision&#39;s video game/toy line combo returns later this year with Trap Team. The publisher has released some new images that give you a glimpse of the new characters that will have you emptying out your pockets. </p>
<p>A dinosaur in a helicopter, a robot with some kind of hula hoop &ndash; it seems that no idea is too crazy for developer Toys for Bob to transform into a figure.</p>
<p>Check out the images in the gallery below. For more on Skylanders: Trap Team, read Jeff Cork&#39;s <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/xboxone/archive/2014/06/11/joining-the-trap-team-hands-on-with-the-new-skylanders.aspx">impressions</a> from the E3 2014 show floor.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6852236" width="1" height="1">GIJoehttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIJoe/default.aspxJoining The Trap Team – Hands-On With The New Skylanders/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/06/11/joining-the-trap-team-hands-on-with-the-new-skylanders.aspx2014-06-11T13:42:51Z2014-06-11T13:42:51Z<p><img src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activison2014/skylanders/trapteam/TrapTeam610.jpg" border="0" style="max-width:610px;" alt="" /></p>
<p>I&rsquo;ve been playing Skylanders: Spyro&rsquo;s Adventure since the toy-based series debuted in 2011. It&rsquo;s one of the few franchises that I feel comfortable sharing with my kids, and it&rsquo;s good enough to the point where I&rsquo;ll pop it in and play even if they&rsquo;re out of town. For research, of course. Reiner <a title="wrote about" href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/04/23/eleven-things-you-need-to-know-about-skylanders-trap-team.aspx">wrote about</a> the newest entry, Trap Team, extensively not too long ago, but I got to play it myself for the first time today.</p>
<p>The demo took place in a sewer level, filled with suspicious-looking green rivers and conveniently placed rafts. I got to solve a few puzzles, including one where I pulled levers to help guide a ball of energy from several stations to its ice-melting goal. Another was a slightly new take on the series&rsquo; familiar lock-picking game, where I flung a poor little ball of goo around a 2D box, drenching the poor soul in water at one point to extinguish flames.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The stars of the game are clearly the biggest draw here, however, and I got to play as several new Trap Team characters. Two of them stuck out in particular.</p>
<p>Wolfgang is an Undead type, and he&rsquo;s also a villain that can be trapped. If you haven&rsquo;t been keeping up with Trap Team, the twist this time is that players can choose to trap bosses and some other villains, where they&rsquo;ll be stored in physical toys based on their element type.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Wolfgang is a werewolf who happens to be really into music. He wields a harp/guitar hybrid made from bone, and he can use it to fire off music-note projectiles. He can also charge into groups of enemies with a rock-appropriate stage slide, where he takes out foes while skidding on his knees. He&rsquo;s a pretty funny dude; I heard him shout, &ldquo;Hello, Skyland!&rdquo; in a nice nod to This is Spinal Tap&rsquo;s Nigel Tufnel.</p>
<p>The other character I had fun with was what will either be considered the best or worst name in the series. The characters have been known for punny monikers like Tree Rex, Fright Rider, and Wash Buckler, which is why the simply named &ldquo;Broccoli Guy&rdquo; cracked me up so much. This tiny little fellow complains about his name while battling enemies. He has a cool trick, though: As a Life-based character, he can create a healing aura. It persists even when players swap between their regular Skylander and their trapped companion, so they can use Broccoli Guy as a secondary way to heal their guys. Simply stand on the healing circle and reap the benefits.</p>
<p>Look for Skylanders: Trap Team on October 5.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6848645" width="1" height="1">GIJeffhttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIJeff/default.aspxPre-Order Skylanders Figure Gearshift Before The Game Releases/games/skylanders_trap_team/b/wii_u/archive/2014/06/05/pre-order-skylanders-figure-gearshift-before-the-game-releases.aspx2014-06-05T07:00:00Z2014-06-05T07:00:00Z<p><img border="0" style="max-width:610px;" src="http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/activision/skylanders/trapteam/gearshift610.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Worried about your favorite store running out of the
Skylanders toy you want before you get a chance to run down there and
grab the character yourself? Activision will now let you pre-order
certain Skylanders collectibles before they hit stores. </p>
<p>Gearshift is a Tech element character created on the Tech island of Metallana by King Mercurus. The King thinks of Gearshift as his own daughter, but Gearshift prefers to hang out in the depths of her kingdom among the subterranean workers rather than the castle. Gearshift also helped save her nation and her father from an invasion of Stromriders, which is why she was inaugurated onto the Trap Team.</p>
<p>The Gearshift figure won&#39;t officially release until 2015, but fans of the franchise can get a hold of her when the game releases on October 5 of this year if they preorder her limited early release. Pre-orders open up today, so Skylanders players should get their tech together if they want early access to this character.</p>
<p>Activision will be showing off more of Gearshift at their E3 booth next week, so stay tuned for more Skylander&#39;s news. But be sure to check out our <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/06/04/the-e3-2014-games-list.aspx" target="_blank">Giant List</a> of games expected to be at the show while you wait.</p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div><img src="http://www.gameinformer.com/aggbug.aspx?PostID=6832445" width="1" height="1">GIBenhttp://www.gameinformer.com/members/GIBen/default.aspx